The invention relates to safety belt restraining devices. Many vehicles have safety belts, including lap belts and combination shoulder-lap belts. Commonly, the vehicles come pre-equipped with safety belts. The basic safety belt can operate suddenly under vehicle impact or abrupt braking, with little elasticity to cushion the suddenness of the restraint. Children are especially vulnerable to the severe injuries that can result from the rapid operation of traditional safety belt systems. Currently children 4 years of age and weighing 40 pounds can ride in a vehicle using a safety belt, rather than a child""s car seat. New regulations in California will raise the limit to 6 years and 60 pounds. This regulatory change highlights the concerns surrounding the rapid operation of traditional safety belt systems.
There are prior art devices available that can be added to the safety belt to provide added cushioning of the impact. These prior art devices are designed to be a permanent part of the safety belt system and come pre-installed on the vehicle.
There is a need for a safety belt restraining device that can be easily added to and removed from the existing safety belt system by the vehicle owner. The device needs to be compact and lightweight. Easy installation and attachment to the existing safety belt system is required.
The safety belt restraining device fulfills the objectives of providing a cushioning device that is compact, lightweight and can be easily adapted to the existing safety belt system. The invention is applicable to any vehicle that has a safety belt including automobiles, boats, trains, trucks and planes. A safety belt restraining device is designed to be attached to an existing vehicle safety belt system having a male clip and a female buckle. The safety belt restraining device includes a body with a female member integrated within the body. The female member has a female end, a female base and a hooking member. Opposing the female member is a male member integrated within the body. The male member has a male end, a male base and a travel member. The travel member receives the hooking member and the ravel member limits the movement of the female member.
At least two elastic members are attached between the female member and the male member. Each elastic member has a first end and a second end. The first end is attached to the female base and the second end is attached to the male base. The female end can receive the male clip of the safety belt and the male end can be inserted into the female buckle of a safety belt. The elastic member provides restrained and cushioned movement of the female member during the restraining operation of the existing safety belt. The elastic member provides elastic cushioned restraint as the hooking member moves within the channels of the travel member. When the hooking member reaches the limits of movement within the travel member then movement of the female member is halted. The increasing degrees of elasticity act as a shock absorber to the forward movement of the passenger""s body.
The female end of the invention accepts and attaches to the male clip of an existing safety belt. The male end attaches to the female buckle of the safety belt. When the existing seat belt and the invention are not in use by the passenger, the safety belt restraining device can be left attached to either the male clip or the female buckle of the existing safety belt.
The elastic member can be a damper. The damper is filled with a fluid that restrains the movement of a plunger within the damper. The damper can be designed where, progressively more force is absorbed by the damper as expansion occurs. Other methods and ways of providing an elastic restraining action are well known in the art.
Alternately, the elastic member can be a spring. The length of the spring, thickness of the wire, number of coils and diameter of the coils can all be varied to provide differing degrees of elasticity to the spring. As the coils extend, progressively more force is required to continue the expansion of the spring. Increasing resistance in the spring to further expansion creates a cushioning effect. The force of passenger upon the seat belt and safety belt restraining device is absorbed in the expansion of the spring.
The springs or dampers are located on the outside of the hooking member and travel member, so that the elastic member does not interfere with the movement of the hooking member and travel member. The elastic member is attached to the male member near the male base and attached to the female member near the female base. A light can be included on either the female end or the male end.
The travel member can include a first slotted channel and a second slotted channel. The hooking member includes a first wing and a second wing. The first slotted channel receives the wing and the second slotted channel receives the second wing of the hooking member. The first slotted channel limits the movement of the first wing and the second slotted channel limits the movement of the second wing.
The first wing slides back and forth within the first slotted channel. When the safety belt restraining device is in a non-operating state the first wing is positioned within the first slotted channel closer to the male end. The elastic member is in a non-operating, resting state. When the vehicle experiences an impact the safety belt restraining device operates. The first wing of the hooking member begins to slide within the first slotted channel of the travel member, from near the male end towards the female end. The elastic member begins to extend, limiting and cushioning the movement of the female member. The increasing restraint provided by the elastic member, cushions and delays the jolting impact that occurs to the passenger, when the elastic member reaches its limits of travel and the existing seat belt system operates suddenly.